fishbowls
by sunbourne
Summary: Drabbles involving our favourite swim team manager and her captain; 3/5: Dark red mingled with dark red like it was meant to be. But it wasn't.
1. chasing the rabbit

– They were drift-compatible; he was not. And it nearly broke him. Pacific Rim AU  
– Mako/Gou; Haru/Gou

–

The shrill tone of the alarm rang clear and crisp, blaring warningly alongside the flashing red light lighting up the room as a feminine figure slipped out of bed hurriedly. "Damn monsters. Can't they pick civil times to show up?" she huffed irritably, the other figure in the bed shifted towards her, chuckling softly.

Makoto reached a large hand out, running his fingers through her crimson hair. "Be careful," he sighed softly, palm coming to a rest on her cheek. Her eyes closed briefly as she held his hand there, taking comfort in the warmth before a barely-there knock on the door broke the peace. "Kou, we need to go," called a voice from beyond the door. "I'm coming Haru!" called the girl, red eyes flitting back to her lover and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Don't worry, we'll get that bastard and be back before sunrise."

When she left the room, scent trailing behind her, Makoto finally let out deep breath, bringing his fingers to a clasp in front of his face. It was almost a ritual, to pray for her safe return.

_Please, Kami-sama. Protect them._

_–_

_Careful Haru, this is a fast one!_

Gou's right arm lashed out in sync with her partner's, the mecha they controlled mimicking their movements, a mechanical fist colliding with the Kaiju's jaw. It was thrown back into the stormy water, humongous form flailing.

_Kou, now!_

The Jaeger lunged forward, grasping the creature's head in a steel grasp as it shrieked and struggled. Nearly yelling at the strain, the two pilots pulled sharply, a loud creaking and the roars of the Kaiju indicating its incoming demise.

_Just a little…bit more._

With a final wrench and a shout from both pilots, the monster's head parted with its body, which crashed into the ocean without further ado. Flinging the head aside, the exhausted pair turned towards shore, intent on a full night's sleep. Waves parted as giant legs moved steadily through the water and a peace fell into place between the two.

_When were you going to tell me he proposed?_

Haru's quiet thought pierced through the silence.

She should've known better than to try keeping a secret from her partner. _I…! He…! A week ago._

The dark-haired boy remained taciturn, offering a nod as they continued back to the Shatterdome. The speaker crackled to life: "Good work out there, Tidal Clarus," congratulated Mikoshiba, a young sergeant who piloted another Jaeger in base.

_Haru, I just… I didn't know how to tell you._

His deep blue gaze flashed to her briefly, the slightest hint of hurt tinting his orbs. _He loves you_. The statement made her eyes sting as she bobbed her head in agreement. _And you love him too._

A tear slipped down her face, but she was beyond shame in front of Haru. _I do. But… I'm afraid, Haru. What if one day I don't come back? What if it ends up being the wrong thing for both of us?_

The boy paused, mulling over her concerns.

_It… hurts him when he is unable to be by your side. He wants to protect you, to be your partner, but he can't. Don't let him suffer anymore without you, afraid he'll lose you at any minute._

At that moment, she made up her mind.

–

"Mako!"

No matter how many times he saw her in the pilot uniform, it never failed to take his breath away to see the thick fabric clinging to her petite form. He hugged her, momentarily lifting her completely off the ground, her squeals echoing through the hallway. Moving herself closer to him, a quick kiss to the cheek was his only warning before she shifted towards his ear.

Her whisper was brief. "Yes."

He didn't need to be in the Drift with her to understand what she meant. Eyes wide and shining, he pulled back to look her in the face, expression almost incredulous.  
A nod was all he needed before pulling her into another tight hug, nuzzling her hair affectionately.

Over her shoulder, Makoto's eyes met with those of his best friend, face impassive as ever but blue irises luminous with emotion.

_Thank you, Haru._


	2. giving her away

– He must come to terms with the fact that she will not be his forever.  
– Mostly sibling love ft. Rin and Gou.  
– Could be seen as a companion to the previous ficlet. (°◇°;)

–

"Stop sulking, Rin," rang Gou's commanding voice from the dresser. The shark-toothed man let out another sigh and flopped onto the bed, uncaring at the wrinkles that began developing in his suit. "Onii-chan!" she cried in protest, hurrying from the other room toward him in a whirl of ivory.

Gou's gloved hand pulled at his arm, beckoning off the bed, and the male slid off to sit on the edge, tugging at his bow-tie in a show of discomfort. Wine-red eyes surmised her; she was beautiful, dressed in the traditional white of weddings, the long, sleeveless gown stopping short of her ankle, allowing him to see the peeking toe of her silver heels. From her shoulders flowed a sheer cloak, embroidered with silver flowers and trimmed with matching lace. Her dark maroon hair had been curled and was done up in a simple bun, Chigusa's handiwork he realises, soft tendrils framing her face. Eyelids were dabbed with soft pink glitter and her eyes were lined with dark gray, the entire look finished off with rosy lipgloss.

Despite her grown up face and figure, her eyes still shone with childish awe at her big brother. _This will all change soon_, he thought, an emotion close to bitterness bubbling to the surface. "Smile for me, onii-chan?" she chirped, breaking him from his reverie.

At his toothy, albeit forced grin, she tilted her head and smiled brightly. She turned around to fasten her short veil, and his face fell again, resting his chin on the palm of a hand. His lip curled as she hurriedly checked her makeup, blinking at her reflection in the mirror before slipping on an expression of satisfaction.

"I'm ready!" she called.

When he didn't respond, she glanced back at him. Only for her eyes to meet an empty room.

–

The missing man traipsed down the long hallway, coming to a stop in front of a wooden door. Frantic voices echoed from inside as Rin creaked the door open to peer in. Makoto's tall form paced back and forth, large hands tugging at his white collar desperately.

"I'm not ready!" he exclaimed, his green eyes wild with fear. The other man in the room, also clad in a handsome suit, watched carefully. "I can't do this Haru." When Haruka failed to reply, Makoto whirled around and stared at his best friend. "What if–what if this is wrong thing to do?" The question was hesitant, sour with the taste of fear.

It took everything Rin had to refrain from barging in and beating the brunette senseless.

Haru blinked slowly. "You love her, and she loves you back." The dark-haired man said it simply, like it was a blatant fact. "So it's the right thing to do."

It was almost comical, the way Makoto froze then let out a burst of laughter. "Oh Haru, you make it sound so simple." The tall man reached out to grip his best friend's shoulder. "But you're right. Thank you Haruka." He pulled Haru into a hug.

Over Makoto's shoulder, passive blue eyes caught sight of a red one peering through a crack in the door. Haru's gaze told Rin everything he needed to know, cool blue washing all fears and anxieties away.

He smiled briefly, before shutting the door with a light click.

–

Gou's shriek of relief greeted him when he slipped back into her room. "Rin! Where have you been?"

He shrugged once. "Bathroom," he said fluidly, running a hand through auburn strands. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion but she waved it off. She stepped closer and reached up to adjust his tie before curling her small hand around his looped arm. "Are you ready?" she inquired softly, ruby eyes shimmering softly at her brother.

"I'll never be ready to give away my little sister," he said quietly. His face was turned away from her, staring at the ground in a semblance of sadness. Gou smiled gently, the same smile she gave him even when she was still in a crib, and nudged his face toward her. "You'll always be my big brother. Nothing will ever change that. Not Mako, not my marriage, not even the stupidly grumpy face you put on when you lose to Haruka," she teased.

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her smaller form carefully. She gripped his arms tightly in return. "I love you, onii-chan."

"There's one more thing…." He looked sheepish, shifting for a moment and Gou planted a hand on her hip, slightly impatient. "What is it?"

"Why does the bastard have to be taller than me?" Rin grumbled, a whine tinting his tone and Gou couldn't help but smile as she leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek.

–

– All this time I was listening to achingly sad love songs, do forgive.  
– I want to fall over and weep at my ridiculously clichéd ending to this.  
– And yes, I do love Rin/Haruka too.  
– Haru basically says the same fucking thing in both stories, wtf.


	3. mingle

– Dark red mingled with dark red like it was meant to be. But it wasn't.  
– I was in a stupidly dark mood today and the muse was affected sicut expectatur.  
– Mentions of attempted rape and swearing. Headsup.

–

Makoto remembers when he lost Ren and Ran once during a grocery run. The blind panic when he realised he was no longer holding onto small, smooth hands, the mad scramble as he searched for them between aisles, and the flare of relief when he spotted them arguing over pumpkins in the vegetable aisle.

"Ren, Ran!" The desperation in his voice was not something Makoto recognised.

They stopped wrenching the orange fruit back and forth, turning to the tall form of their big brother. "She started it!" exclaimed Ren at the same time his sister declared, "It's all Ren's fault!"

"Don't run off like that again," Makoto scolded gently, gripping their tiny hands in his large ones. He led them back toward their abandoned trolley.

Their chorused chirrups of "Yes, onii-chan!" sent waves of ease throughout his body. It wasn't long before they were peppering him with requests for candy and sweet buns.

That day, he swore he would never lose them ever again.

–

The next time he loses one of the twins, it's a perfectly sunny day. The blistering sun made rivulets of sweat stream down his chest as he ran hopelessly around town, phone pressed against his ear and green eyes darting this way and that; but Makoto couldn't bring himself to care.

A bland droning nearly made him curse in frustration. He supposed hoping for Haruka to answer his phone was too much to ask for.

Scanning his short contact list briefly, only one other name stood out. _Matsuoka Gou_. He really should've gotten the phone numbers of the other boys. Pressing the call button with an increasing sense of urgency, the beeps of a connecting call only made him more distressed. _Please, please, please pickup_.

"Hello?" Gou's feminine pitch reached his ears. "Gou-chan, it's Makoto. I'm sorry for bothering you, but Ran's gone missing and I can't find her."

It took Gou less than a second to formulate a response. "I'll contact Rin, Nagisa and Rei right away. We'll call you if any one of us finds her." Makoto would've let out a breath of relief if the panic in his chest hadn't been threatening to knock the wind out of him. "Thank you, Gou-chan."

She hung up without another word.

–

"Yes, I've sent her picture to you and Rei."

The cherry-haired girl continued sprinting down the street as she flipped her phone back down, effectively ending the call. Rin hadn't answered his phone and both Nagisa and Rei were scouring the town for the little Tachibana.

"Ran-chan! Ran-chan!" she called out, red eyes searching. Gou knew the feeling; to be lost without her big brother and away from the comforting presence of familiar people. She just prayed that the girl was unharmed and just crying in a corner somewhere.

"Ran-chan!" tried Gou again, slowing down to a jog. Internally cursing her nonexistent stamina, she bent over and grasped her knees, breathing heavily.

Then, a whimper coming from an alleyway caught her attention.

"Someone, please help me." The cry was minuscule, easily swallowed by the darkness of the cramped lane.

"Ran-chan?" she tested. Squinting, Gou made out the figure of a child as she stepped into the alley. The child whirled around at the sound of the name, running towards her. "I-I'm really scared, onee-chan. Please take me back to my brother."

Gou wrapped her arms around Ran as the smaller girl held onto her sweater, gripping the material. Wined eyes narrowed as a voice sneered out from deeper in, the owner obscured by shadows.

"Weeeeeeell, what do we have here?" A man swaggered out from the depths of the alley, his gangly form causing his dirt-caked clothing to hang off him. Gou noted the metal bar he held in his right hand, pulling Ran closer to her body and backing away slowly.

"Where are you going girly? Let's have some fun," came a slur from the man, his lip curling into a disgusting smile.

"Ran-chan, I need you to run. Run and get help," said Gou, pushing her charge behind her, creating a barrier between Ran and the man advancing towards them.

"B-But I can't leave you," Ran stammered, aquamarine irises shining with tears.

Inclining her head slightly towards the girl, Gou smiled brightly. "Onee-chan will be fine. Now, please. Go now."

With tear-stained cheeks, Ran bolted out of the backstreet and when Gou returned her eyes to the man, all she remembered was seeing the silver of a bat coming towards her, accompanied by a splitting pain piercing her head.

–

Makoto groaned, double-checking Ran's favourite ramen shop as he ran passed, the cheerful chime of the owner's greeting welcoming him.

"Excuse me, sir. Have you seen my sister?" the fair-haired boy asked, twitching with anxiety and breathing hard from exhaustion.

"You mean Ran-chan? Why–here she is right now!"

Makoto spun around only for a small force to run straight into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. "Ran?" he exclaimed. "Where have you be–" he began before being cut off.

"You have to help her, onii-chan!" Tears ran down her face as she sobbed out the question and Makoto gripped her by the shoulders gently. "Who needs help?"

"The girl with red hair!"

Dread pooled in his stomach at Ran's words. It couldn't be…. "Did she have red eyes and a ponytail?" His little sister sniffled. "I-I think so."

Eyes betraying his fear, he managed to get Ran to tell him where she had been found and with that, he leapt up, reassuring Ran that he would be back soon, putting in a request to the owner to watch over her until he did.

_Please be alright, Gou._

–

It passed by in a blur; finding the alley, seeing Gou on the ground, unconscious, with her school blouse roughly pulled off, a creep hunched over here.

Makoto saw red.

Even in the darkness, he could see the sluggishly bleeding wound on her head through her maroon locks. With horror, he noted a cut above her left eye, blood seeping downward to cover her eyelid in red. It lifted, and her unfocused cherry irises, clouded with fear and confusion, emphasised the red. She was so red, and all he could think of was the pain he was about to inflict on the offender. The cocktail of emotions–he could pick out rage and worry–swirled in his head, making him dizzy.

"Get the fuck off her." He didn't recognise the anger in his voice, nor the fact that he had swore aloud, but he didn't care. When the man failed to move, a large hand wrenched him backward and slammed him against the brick wall confining them. The perpetrator snarled and tried to fight the larger man off, but Makoto was faster and stronger, catching the intended blow and returning it with a punch of his own.

Red, all he could see was red. Staining his knuckles, the teeth of the man who had dared lay a finger on Gou, his white collar. The moment seemed to last for an eternity before Gou called out. "Mako-Makoto-senpai?" Her weak murmur made him abandon his victim to scramble over to her side.

"Gou, are you alright? Where are you hurt?" The girl hadn't seemed to process it and was instead staring at him with raw relief. "You came for me," she croaked, hand finding his.

He lifted her up to cradle her in his strong arms, her head lolling weakly to rest against his neck. "Of course I did, of course I did," he said against her hair, voice cracking with the effort of holding back tears.

"You're hurt." She was looking at his bloodied knuckles. "Where's Ran-chan?" Gou continued, eyes searching wearily.

"She's safe."

"Good," she breathed, eyes shutting again. "I'm tired, Makoto-senpai."

He kissed her forehead, careful of her injuries before lifting her up, easily supporting the weight of the spent girl. "Just rest, Gou. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

"Thank you…" Her body went limp and her breathing measured out. Balancing her carefully, he shrugged off his outermost layer and wrapped it around her thin shoulders, green eyes watching her fragile form. _I'll definitely protect you._

He didn't let go of her hand until they reached the hospital.

–

– I couldn't help but chortle at 'Ran-chan'.  
– But writing the twins was heaps of fun! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ  
– Angry Makoto, haha, more like take me now.


End file.
